Mulan is a 2020 American historical drama film directed by Niki Caro, with the screenplay by Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Lauren Hynek, and Elizabeth Martin, and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. The film is based on the Chinese folklore "The Ballad of Mulan" and is a live-action remake of the 1998 animated film of the same name. The film stars Liu Yifei in the title role, alongside Donnie Yen, Tzi Ma, Jason Scott Lee, Yoson An, Ron Yuan, Gong Li, and Jet Li in supporting roles with Kel Mitchell in voice role. It was released on August 21, 2020, after being rescheduled from March 27, 2020 and July 24 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Synopsis[]
When The Emperor of China issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Army to defend the country from Northern invaders, Hua Mulan, the eldest daughter of an honored warrior, steps in to take the place of her ailing father. Masquerading as a man, Hua Jun, and with the advice and help of a scrawny, reddish-orange Chinese dragon with a comical and cheeky-chappy personality, she is tested every step of the way and must harness her inner-strength and embrace her true potential. It is an epic journey that will transform her into an honored warrior by earning her the respect of a grateful nation and a proud father.
Plot[]
In the 2020 live-action remake, the surname was changed back to Hua to be more historically accurate. The original ballad, The Ballad of Mulan, does not give Mulan a surname, but the name Hua Mulan eventually became the most well-known. The surname Hua is associated with the given name "Mulan", which literally means "magnolia". Many years ago in the Chinese Village of Tulou, a feisty young girl named Hua Mulan helps her father, Hua Zhou, guide chickens into a pin. However, one of them escapes into the crowded courtyard. Mulan engages in a chase to retrieve the chicken which causes much distress among the townsfolk and dishonor to Hua Zhou. A statue of a phoenix, the symbol of Mulan's ancestors, is damaged in the chaos. Zhou uses this moment to talk to Mulan about how she is very strong and that she must find balance.
Years later, Böri Khan and his barbarian forces ride on horseback towards the Great Wall. The Rourans are able to capture a Northern outpost by launching a surprise attack, dealing a drastic blow to the Chinese forces. Hearing of this attack and similar ones in five other northern cities from his chancellor, the Emperor of China demands additional forces to protect China. However, unbeknownst to him, his chancellor was impersonated by a witch in an attempt to trick the leadership of China.
At his camp, Böri Khan discusses his motives for taking over China. His father was slain by the Emperor of China when he was younger, causing him to vow revenge. He gained much support during his quest for revenge, including Xianniang, a powerful witch with strong, unbalanced qi, and he will be using his support to take over China.
Mulan, now a teenager, is preparing to find a groom, as all teenage girls do in Mulan's village. Despite her objections to the process, Mulan goes along with it in order to please her mother. Joined by her mother and her younger sister Xiu, they meet with the town matchmaker. The meeting starts off according to plan, but disaster strikes when a spider crawls down from the ceiling. In an attempt to hide the spider from Xiu who is afraid of spiders, Mulan interrupts the matchmaker and ruins the meeting. Once they get outside, they hear an important announcement that the emperor of China is requesting more men to defeat the Rourans. The messenger gives conscription notices to each man who is eligible to fight. Despite not being required to fight as he is a veteran, Hua Zhou is the first to step forward in order to bring honor to his ancestors.
Later that night, Mulan talks to her father as he prepares to head off to the war. He discusses his previous conflicts and his sword which has "Loyal", "Brave", and "True" engraved into it. He again reminds Mulan of the Phoenix and how his ancestors will watch over him. Once her father goes to bed, Mulan steals his armor, sword, and horse, and rides off towards the camp to take his place as he is old and may get seriously ingured. The next morning, he sees his conscription notice is gone and replaced by Mulan's decorative comb. Hua Zhou and Hua Li pray their ancestors will protect her.
As Mulan rides, a Phoenix-like bird flies above, reminding her of what her father said. Mulan arrives at the camp and poses as a boy named Hua Jun. Later that night, Mulan volunteers to keep watch over the camp rather than bathe with the other soldiers so that she does not expose her identity as a girl. She uses this time to train and better herself. Despite not fully understanding what it is like to be a man and making some remarks considered to be suspicious, none of the soldiers suspect she isn't truly Hua Jun.
She grows close with her fellow soldier Chen Honghui. They are partnered up for training and engage in a heated practice duel. Every day during training, Mulan improves and eventually surpasses her fellow soldiers. This catches the attention of Commander Tung. Later, following a long day of practice, Hongui tells Mulan that she smells and needs to take a bath. She heads to the lake to do so. Not aware of Mulan's secret, Hongui arrives at the lake to talk with her, but she attempts to get him to go away so he does not expose her. Despite not understanding Mulan's standoffish behavior, Hongui quickly departs.
The next day, Mulan is told to meet with Commander Tung. The Commander is quite impressed with her skill in training and offers her a higher position. Before the conversation can continue, they receive word that they are needed as back up for forces under attack from Bori Khan. With this, the army departs camp and heads off.
They arrive at the valley where Khan's troops are located. While the others fight the Rouran army, Mulan and Hongui chase after Bori Khan. During the chase, Mulan becomes separated from Hongui and comes face to face with Xianniang, who uses her powers to know who Mulan is. The witch tells Mulan how they are similar and both have very strong qi. During the ensuing conflict, Mulan's armor is damaged, revealing her traditional clothing underneath. Mulan uses this opportunity to embrace the third virtue taught to her by her father, "True". Taking off her helmet and letting down her hair, she goes back to save the others. Noticing that they are being bombarded by a trebuchet, she places helmets on rocks in order to trick to Rourans into firing into a mountain, causing an avalanche. This devastates the Rouran army and saves the Chinese troops. Mulan admits the truth of her identity to her peers, and she is told to leave the army or be killed.
As Mulan sadly begins to head home, Xianniang flies to Mulan and tells her that Böri Khan and the Rourans plan to capture the Emperor and the palace. Mulan races off to save the others, despite being told she would be killed if she returned. Initially, Commander Tung does not trust Mulan's warning of the attack, however many of the troops speak up saying "I Believe Hua Mulan". With this, they head off to the capital.
When they arrive the city is already deserted, so they search for the emperor. They find an area in which they believe the emperor to be, however they are trapped by enemy forces and must fight to escape. Xianniang tells Mulan that the Emperor is held captive by Böri Khan. She heads off alone, leaving the others to defend themselves. She follows Xianniang's flight path as the witch leads her to a building under construction. As she runs towards the building, Böri Khan fires an arrow directly towards Mulan. Xianniang swiftly flies directly into the line of fire, taking the arrow and saving Mulan's life. Böri and Mulan engage in front of the Emperor. Böri Khan insults Mulan, however, the Emperor commends her. In the conflict, Mulan knocks Khan down the unfinished center of the building. Still living, he fires an arrow at Mulan who redirects it back at him, killing him instantly. After the Emperor returns to the palace, he holds a ceremony honoring Mulan and those who fought alongside her. He offers to make her an officer in the Chinese army, but she refuses, citing her duty to her family.
Mulan returns to her village and is greeted by her family and neighbors with open arms, although the Matchmaker disapproves of what Mulan has done. Shortly after her arrival, Commander Tung arrives on horseback and reiterates the Emperor's offer to appoint her an officer in the army. Additionally, he presents her a gift from the Emperor: a new sword that reads "Loyal", "Brave", "True", and a fourth virtue, "Family".
Cast[]
- Liu Yifei as Mulan
- Donnie Yen as Commander Tung
- Gong Li as Xianniang
- Jason Scott Lee as Böri Khan
- Yoson An as Chen Honghui
- Jet Li as the Emperor of China
- Tzi Ma as Hua Zhou
- Rosalinda Chao as Hua Li
- Xana Tang as Hua Xiu (Mulan's younger sister)
- Ron Yuan as Seargent Qiang
- Nelson Lee as The Chancellor
- Cheng Pei-Pei as The Matchmaker
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- This is the first Disney live-action remake to get a PG-13 rating; all previous remakes were PG.
- This film has been delayed due to the coronavirus